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I've been thinking about getting one for a while, although I don't know why exactly.
I suspect they are a bit like a smartphone, Land Rover or internet connection, in that I will go from not really seeing the point at first, to wanting one anyway, then wondering how I ever managed without it.
Leatherman do a few with screwdriver/hex/torx bits that look useful, although being a typical USA manufacturer, they haven't cottoned on the the fact that the rest of the world uses metric hex bits.
Gerber do one that's self locking, like Mole Grips.
Which one should I get, which ones should I avoid ?
Where's best to buy ? There's a Go Outdoors near work who guarantee to beat any price, so one on of the ones on these lists would be best;
[url= http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/search/go?view=grid&w=gerber ]Gerber[/url]
[url= http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/search/go?view=grid&w=leatherman ]Leatherman[/url]
Although they haven't got the ones with the big discounts in stock locally or available for delivery.
I've got a Leatherman Wave and a Gerber Crux. The Crux has more bits but the Wave is the better made.
I bought the Crux after I'd "lost" the Wave which I found two years later in an old shooting jacket!
I have a Leatherman Wave, almost never use it. It lives in my bike tool kit as a pair of pliers....
I've have a Leatherman Charge Ti for about 10 years.
In daily use at work for all sorts of things including sawing floorboard holes etc.
Still in perfect working order after years of abuse.
I did snap the saw blade once but it was replaced free after a call to Leatherman, just cost me the postage to send it to them, and it came back fully serviced, sharpened and shiny and with a new saw blade.
I would never buy anything else, not that I will need to as I can't see me ever needing to replace this one !!
That's like saying 'I want to buy a tool. Which one?'. Lots of different styles that lead on different features. I don't think you can go wrong with a Gerber Suspension for a reasonable price and all-round use. I've had a few different ones over the years.
If you're likely to lose it, leave it in the bottom of a bag forever, or just not sure you'll actually use it then you could do worse than trying a cheap Gerber Suspension for £22 quid.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gerber-22-01471-Suspension-Multi-Plier/dp/B000EDPT9K
They are not a bad tool, I have one in the glove box of the car, I thought it worth a punt at that price, and it is. My main go to multitool is a Leatherman Charge Ti, and this is way better than the Gerber, but then it ought to be as it's 5x the price. Have the metric hex bits too, think these cme with the extra bit set. A Charge or Wave would be my recommednations, but really it's down to personal preference, which you may not know until you see how/where/when you actaully use one. Leatherman quality is certainly better than present day Gerbers, although I'm convinced the old Gerbers where not as bad. Maybe they have gone the same way as Karrimor, just trading on the name the old products made for them.
Gerber suspension. Brilliant, plus pliers are sprung (the leatherman ones aren't) and the tools/ blades lock in place.
I have a Gerber MP400 ,this and the bigger MP600 are supposedly the only ones still made in the USA the others are made in China or some other far eastern country and again quality/reliability on these has been suspect in the past.
For me I cannot fault the MP400 ,tough as nails and solidly built plus has the slide out pliers.
Leatherman crunch. Has mole grips omstead of pliers can also be used with standard hex bits.
gerber suspension for work, mp400 for the bike. needle nose pliers very handy, thin enough to insert into a cassette ring to tighten a cassette. plus the cutters WILL cut gear cable.
I've got a Leatherman Charge Ti and while it's got loads of stuff, I never really use it, whereas I carry and use this most days:
[url= http://www.victorinox.com/ch/product/Swiss-Army-Knives/Category/The-Original-Swiss-Army-Knives/The-Original-Swiss-Army-Knives-large-size-91-mm/Spartan/1.3603 ]Victorinox Sparton[/url]
+1 Gerber Suspension.
Had a few multi tools over the years but have narrowed them down to 2
1/ LM Charge Tti
Used for car camping and the like
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2/ LM Skeletool CX
Carry it every day
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The Tti has loads of tools but to be honest in the years i've had it i've not used the vast majority of them.
It's also a heavy lump to carry around
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The CX has a useful selection of tools and is a LOT easier to carry around
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You also need to be careful where you carry most of these multitools as the vast majority have a fixed blade, so you NEED to have a reasonable reason for carrying them if your stopped.
https://www.gov.uk/find-out-if-i-can-buy-or-carry-a-knife
Examples of good reasons to carry a knife in public can include:taking knives you use at work to and from work
you’re taking knives to a gallery or museum to be exhibited
the knife is going to be used for theatre, film, televison, historical reenactment or religious purposes (eg the kirpan some Sikhs carry)A court will decide if you’ve got a good reason to carry a knife if you’re charged with carrying it illegally.
In my opinion the best multi tool available is the Victorinox swiss tool. Don't discount SOG too. They also make exceptionally good multi tools. Have a look on the Heinnes website for more info.
I have a Leatherman Wave and a Skeletool. Both are great. My Wave is a first generation model and does not support hex bits which was my excuse for buying the Skeletool.
I got a Gerber Suspension and I was impressed with the quality for the money. It's not cheap tat.
the "flick" action for the Gerber pliers I have are great for single handed work, plus the cutters work on D10 which the leatherman and SOG never did
I had a Skeletool for ages, but it kept losing the the screw driver bits. Stays in the camebak now.
I got a Leatherman Sidekick for work use. It was fairly cheap, doesn't have anything I don't need & the knife is on the outside, which is probably what I use the most.
The three I use most - a Gerber Legend, Leatherman Charge TTi and SOG Powerplier:
[url= http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6020/5985027604_ca91ccb793_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/cycleologist/5985027604/ ]Multitools[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/cycleologist/ ]Ben Cooper[/url], on Flickr
The Gerber is beefy, but TBH I don't like it. The SOG is tidy and small and powerful, and with a non-locking blade it's also legal to carry. But it's the Leatherman that's used and abused every day - it's just perfect.
[url= http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6149/5985023546_4cb04fc632_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/cycleologist/5985023546/ ]Multitools 4[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/cycleologist/ ]Ben Cooper[/url], on Flickr
That SOG looks very similar to the old original Leatherman PST, non-locking blade included. Rarely use my PST since getting a Charge.